Pollution blamed for 25,000 deaths

Local authorities need to do more to protect people from harmful air pollution, health officials have said after new estimates suggest that thousands die every year as a result of poor air quality.

Long-term exposure to air pollution led to around 25,000 deaths in England in 2010, Public Health England (PHE) said.

The highest number of deaths were recorded in the south east of England where 4,034 deaths in people over the age of 25 were attributable to air pollution.

This was followed by the North West where 3,427 deaths were associated with particulate air pollution.

There were 3,389 deaths in London linked to poor air quality.

Other parts of England had between 2,000 and 3,000 deaths attributable to air pollution apart from the north east, where 1,199 deaths were associated with air pollution.

Last week swathes of England and Wales suffered extremely high pollution levels.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) predicted that large areas of the country would suffer the highest levels of pollution.

The dip in the air quality was caused by a combination of dust from the Sahara Desert, emissions from the continent, low south-easterly winds and domestic pollution.

A fresh air mass pushed the pollution away from Britain on Friday.

Health officials said that the latest estimates are for long-term exposure to pollutants, not short-term exposure to poor air quality as seen last week. But they said that short-term exposure can cause a range of adverse effects such as exacerbation of asthma and effects on lung function.

PHE published a list of local authorities and the number of deaths that are attributable to air pollution in each area.

The estimates are calculated using the average annual concentrations of man-made particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, and the impacts on health.

PHE said that air quality has improved "considerably" in the UK in recent decades due to new cleaner technology and tighter environmental legislation. But it said that local action can be taken to reduce the emissions of these man-made particles and people's exposure to air pollution.

Dr Paul Cosford, PHE's director of health protection and medical director, said: "Policies that encourage a shift from motorised transport to walking and cycling would be expected to reduce total vehicle emissions, including particulate pollution.

"If this could be achieved in towns and cities, then we could expect local improvements in air quality. There would also be health benefits from increased physical activity through walking and cycling.

"Local authorities could also consider other measures to improve air quality, such as implementing low emission strategies as well as the appropriate design of green spaces."

Dr Sotiris Vardoulakis, PHE's head of air pollution and climate change, said: "The report has been produced to inform public health professionals and air quality specialists in local authorities about the likely effects of particle air pollution on public health. The estimates are intended to help local authorities consider air pollution among other public health issues.

"Much outdoor air pollution comes from burning fuels to generate heat and electricity and from vehicles. Measures that significantly reduce particulate air pollution or cut exposure would be regarded as important public health initiatives."

Friends of the Earth air pollution campaigner Jenny Bates said: "It's outrageous that tens of thousands of people die prematurely in England every year because of polluted air. Ending this national disgrace should be a top priority for politicians.

"Ministers and local authorities must develop an urgent action plan to introduce cleaner vehicles and encourage the use of alternative forms of transport - people won't be able to breathe easily until they do."

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "With the high levels of pollution we experienced last week there has been a lot of discussion about the short-term effects it can have on people's health, particularly to those living with a lung condition.

"However, this new report further highlights just how serious exposure to pollution can be to people's health in the long-term - this is something we urgently need to tackle."

Comments

Climate changes, man made we are now being told …look no further than the North East of England to see that it is being caused mostly by people and toxic industries … like the foreign owned chemical and steel producers, the real blots on our landscape that are dirty, are noisy, stinking, spouting dangerous and extremely unhealthy emissions on a daily basis, blackening our skies, the environment and disrupting the lives of people living in places like Redcar & Cleveland … its oh so like 3rd world depravation where Local Authorities do little or nothing to protect the residents from early death !

Climate changes, man made we are now being told …look no further than the North East of England to see that it is being caused mostly by people and toxic industries … like the foreign owned chemical and steel producers, the real blots on our landscape that are dirty, are noisy, stinking, spouting dangerous and extremely unhealthy emissions on a daily basis, blackening our skies, the environment and disrupting the lives of people living in places like Redcar & Cleveland … its oh so like 3rd world depravation where Local Authorities do little or nothing to protect the residents from early death !st-george1

Climate changes, man made we are now being told …look no further than the North East of England to see that it is being caused mostly by people and toxic industries … like the foreign owned chemical and steel producers, the real blots on our landscape that are dirty, are noisy, stinking, spouting dangerous and extremely unhealthy emissions on a daily basis, blackening our skies, the environment and disrupting the lives of people living in places like Redcar & Cleveland … its oh so like 3rd world depravation where Local Authorities do little or nothing to protect the residents from early death !

Score: 1

Dan Soton
6:38pm Mon 5 May 14

Public Health England (PHE) said Local authorities need to do more to protect people from harmful air pollution..

For my part... in a few years from now I will have a phone with an Air Pollution App which will tell me if Southampton's traffic pollution is exceeding EU legal limits if so it will automatically fine all the reasonable parties...

Environmental information about CO2, airborne dust and pollen will no longer be collected only at isolated measuring stations. From now on, cyclists, bus drivers and the man in the street will be able to do their bit.

Twenty portable sensors will be issued to volunteers in the city and to employees such as traffic wardens who are exposed to urban pollution at work.

By Åse Dragland

24 Feb 2014

"AT PRESENT, ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENTS ARE MADE USING EXPENSIVE STATIONS SPREAD AROUND THE COUNTRY. HOWEVER, NOW THAT EVERYBODY HAS A MOBILE PHONE, AND WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY, WE OURSELVES CAN CONTRIBUTE WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF DATA," SAYS ARNE BERRE AT SINTEF ICT.

"More and better information is particularly valuable on days of high pollution or high pollen counts. Making their own measurements will get the general public involved in their own environment. Everybody can now receive useful feedback about the conditions around us.

"TECHNOLOGY WILL BE DEVELOPED BY WAY OF THE EU PROJECTS CITI-SENSE AND CITI-SENSE-MOB. THESE WILL ENABLE ORDINARY PEOPLE TO COLLECT ENVIRONMENTAL DATA. Research scientists from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) and SINTEF are already well under way with the Norwegian contribution."

SENSORS ABOARD BUSES

"We are now having discussions with Oslo Municipality about fitting buses with sensors to measure air quality along the roads. The bus drivers themselves will also find this information useful as they will see how acceleration and driving style affects the results and can learn to drive in a more ecologically friendly way" says Berre.

Magne Elvik, Operations Manager at Nobina Oslo Vest, confirms that sensors will be tested aboard two gas-powered buses at the beginning of April on routes around Grorud, Sinsen and Oslo Central Station, as well as out to Fornebu. If the tests go according to plan, a further eight buses will be included in the experiment.

ON STREETLAMPS AND ELECTRIC BIKES

Last year was mostly dedicated to testing new technology and getting everything to function so that data could be obtained for later use. The actual measurements will take place in the coming months.

Nuria Castell at NILU says that a total of 40 static sensors will be deployed in Oslo. "Air quality is a matter of public concern in Norway, too," she says. "We will fit sensors to streetlamps, for example, to cover city centre areas where pollution is high, and will also monitor neighbourhoods adjacent to Ring Roads 2 and 3, and at Bygdøy.

Twenty portable sensors will be issued to volunteers in the city and to employees such as traffic wardens who are exposed to urban pollution at work. The citizens of Oslo will also be able to measure air quality when cycling, and at least one sensor will be fitted to an electric bike.

"Admittedly there have been some delays," Castell confirms, "But we are starting this spring with two buses, a bicycle and five fixed sensors. By the end of the summer we aim to have full distribution involving more buses, and in the autumn all the fixed sensors will be installed, as well as those carried by people. Measurements will then be carried out in the city throughout 2015."

LAPEL BUTTONS

In December, SINTEF tested hand-held units for collecting weather and wind data as well as a small lapel button (see video) for measuring UV radiation.

"We have now sent the equipment to Bilbao for large-scale testing," says Arne Berre.

This is because around thirty partners in Europe are busy with measurements and tests. Among other things, they will provide both indoor and outdoor measurements of CO2 levels in schools. With such a large amount of data, the EU will be able to make comparisons and obtain a basis for developing joint solutions as well as for sharing technology.

The next step will deal with how to successfully involve people in future by means of user participation and work groups. The plan is to test the technology with selected individuals in 2014 and then make it more generally available during 2015.

See the www.citi-sense.eu and www.citi-sense-mob.e
u websites for further information.

KEY FACTS:

• The EU's Citi-Sense environmental project (2012-2016) will measure the pollution to which individual citizens are exposed. This is achieved using mini-sensors and other electronic equipment to collect environmental data for an online data register. The objective of the project is to improve quality of life in towns and cities. The project attempts to motivate the local population and improve awareness. 27 partner institutions from nine cities in Europe are involved. The project is headed by NILU.

• The EU's Citi-Sense-MOB project will run from 2013 to 2015 and involves installing sensors on mobile platforms (buses and bicycles) to make regular measurements. Each of the four Norwegian partners has its own principal focus – NILU on the quality of sensor data, SINTEF on integration towards global standards and data visualisation, Kjeller Innovation on the use of sensor data in other applications and UNIK on user involvement.

• THE SENSORS ARE MANUFACTURED BY VARIOUS EUROPEAN COMPANIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, SERBIA AND SPAIN.

Public Health England (PHE) said Local authorities need to do more to protect people from harmful air pollution..
For my part... in a few years from now I will have a phone with an Air Pollution App which will tell me if Southampton's traffic pollution is exceeding EU legal limits if so it will automatically fine all the reasonable parties...
Read on.. The EU is backing ( Doable Project) low cost continuous pollution monitoring via mobile phones..
YOU AND I WILL MONITOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Environmental information about CO2, airborne dust and pollen will no longer be collected only at isolated measuring stations. From now on, cyclists, bus drivers and the man in the street will be able to do their bit.
Twenty portable sensors will be issued to volunteers in the city and to employees such as traffic wardens who are exposed to urban pollution at work.
By Åse Dragland
24 Feb 2014
"AT PRESENT, ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENTS ARE MADE USING EXPENSIVE STATIONS SPREAD AROUND THE COUNTRY. HOWEVER, NOW THAT EVERYBODY HAS A MOBILE PHONE, AND WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY, WE OURSELVES CAN CONTRIBUTE WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF DATA," SAYS ARNE BERRE AT SINTEF ICT.
"More and better information is particularly valuable on days of high pollution or high pollen counts. Making their own measurements will get the general public involved in their own environment. Everybody can now receive useful feedback about the conditions around us.
"TECHNOLOGY WILL BE DEVELOPED BY WAY OF THE EU PROJECTS CITI-SENSE AND CITI-SENSE-MOB. THESE WILL ENABLE ORDINARY PEOPLE TO COLLECT ENVIRONMENTAL DATA. Research scientists from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) and SINTEF are already well under way with the Norwegian contribution."
SENSORS ABOARD BUSES
"We are now having discussions with Oslo Municipality about fitting buses with sensors to measure air quality along the roads. The bus drivers themselves will also find this information useful as they will see how acceleration and driving style affects the results and can learn to drive in a more ecologically friendly way" says Berre.
Magne Elvik, Operations Manager at Nobina Oslo Vest, confirms that sensors will be tested aboard two gas-powered buses at the beginning of April on routes around Grorud, Sinsen and Oslo Central Station, as well as out to Fornebu. If the tests go according to plan, a further eight buses will be included in the experiment.
ON STREETLAMPS AND ELECTRIC BIKES
Last year was mostly dedicated to testing new technology and getting everything to function so that data could be obtained for later use. The actual measurements will take place in the coming months.
Nuria Castell at NILU says that a total of 40 static sensors will be deployed in Oslo. "Air quality is a matter of public concern in Norway, too," she says. "We will fit sensors to streetlamps, for example, to cover city centre areas where pollution is high, and will also monitor neighbourhoods adjacent to Ring Roads 2 and 3, and at Bygdøy.
Twenty portable sensors will be issued to volunteers in the city and to employees such as traffic wardens who are exposed to urban pollution at work. The citizens of Oslo will also be able to measure air quality when cycling, and at least one sensor will be fitted to an electric bike.
"Admittedly there have been some delays," Castell confirms, "But we are starting this spring with two buses, a bicycle and five fixed sensors. By the end of the summer we aim to have full distribution involving more buses, and in the autumn all the fixed sensors will be installed, as well as those carried by people. Measurements will then be carried out in the city throughout 2015."
LAPEL BUTTONS
In December, SINTEF tested hand-held units for collecting weather and wind data as well as a small lapel button (see video) for measuring UV radiation.
"We have now sent the equipment to Bilbao for large-scale testing," says Arne Berre.
This is because around thirty partners in Europe are busy with measurements and tests. Among other things, they will provide both indoor and outdoor measurements of CO2 levels in schools. With such a large amount of data, the EU will be able to make comparisons and obtain a basis for developing joint solutions as well as for sharing technology.
The next step will deal with how to successfully involve people in future by means of user participation and work groups. The plan is to test the technology with selected individuals in 2014 and then make it more generally available during 2015.
See the www.citi-sense.eu and www.citi-sense-mob.e
u websites for further information.
KEY FACTS:
• The EU's Citi-Sense environmental project (2012-2016) will measure the pollution to which individual citizens are exposed. This is achieved using mini-sensors and other electronic equipment to collect environmental data for an online data register. The objective of the project is to improve quality of life in towns and cities. The project attempts to motivate the local population and improve awareness. 27 partner institutions from nine cities in Europe are involved. The project is headed by NILU.
• The EU's Citi-Sense-MOB project will run from 2013 to 2015 and involves installing sensors on mobile platforms (buses and bicycles) to make regular measurements. Each of the four Norwegian partners has its own principal focus – NILU on the quality of sensor data, SINTEF on integration towards global standards and data visualisation, Kjeller Innovation on the use of sensor data in other applications and UNIK on user involvement.
• THE SENSORS ARE MANUFACTURED BY VARIOUS EUROPEAN COMPANIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, SERBIA AND SPAIN.
http://www.sintef.no
/home/Press-Room/Res
earch-News/You-and-I
-will-monitor-the-en
vironment/
,,,Dan Soton

Public Health England (PHE) said Local authorities need to do more to protect people from harmful air pollution..

For my part... in a few years from now I will have a phone with an Air Pollution App which will tell me if Southampton's traffic pollution is exceeding EU legal limits if so it will automatically fine all the reasonable parties...

Environmental information about CO2, airborne dust and pollen will no longer be collected only at isolated measuring stations. From now on, cyclists, bus drivers and the man in the street will be able to do their bit.

Twenty portable sensors will be issued to volunteers in the city and to employees such as traffic wardens who are exposed to urban pollution at work.

By Åse Dragland

24 Feb 2014

"AT PRESENT, ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENTS ARE MADE USING EXPENSIVE STATIONS SPREAD AROUND THE COUNTRY. HOWEVER, NOW THAT EVERYBODY HAS A MOBILE PHONE, AND WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY, WE OURSELVES CAN CONTRIBUTE WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF DATA," SAYS ARNE BERRE AT SINTEF ICT.

"More and better information is particularly valuable on days of high pollution or high pollen counts. Making their own measurements will get the general public involved in their own environment. Everybody can now receive useful feedback about the conditions around us.

"TECHNOLOGY WILL BE DEVELOPED BY WAY OF THE EU PROJECTS CITI-SENSE AND CITI-SENSE-MOB. THESE WILL ENABLE ORDINARY PEOPLE TO COLLECT ENVIRONMENTAL DATA. Research scientists from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) and SINTEF are already well under way with the Norwegian contribution."

SENSORS ABOARD BUSES

"We are now having discussions with Oslo Municipality about fitting buses with sensors to measure air quality along the roads. The bus drivers themselves will also find this information useful as they will see how acceleration and driving style affects the results and can learn to drive in a more ecologically friendly way" says Berre.

Magne Elvik, Operations Manager at Nobina Oslo Vest, confirms that sensors will be tested aboard two gas-powered buses at the beginning of April on routes around Grorud, Sinsen and Oslo Central Station, as well as out to Fornebu. If the tests go according to plan, a further eight buses will be included in the experiment.

ON STREETLAMPS AND ELECTRIC BIKES

Last year was mostly dedicated to testing new technology and getting everything to function so that data could be obtained for later use. The actual measurements will take place in the coming months.

Nuria Castell at NILU says that a total of 40 static sensors will be deployed in Oslo. "Air quality is a matter of public concern in Norway, too," she says. "We will fit sensors to streetlamps, for example, to cover city centre areas where pollution is high, and will also monitor neighbourhoods adjacent to Ring Roads 2 and 3, and at Bygdøy.

Twenty portable sensors will be issued to volunteers in the city and to employees such as traffic wardens who are exposed to urban pollution at work. The citizens of Oslo will also be able to measure air quality when cycling, and at least one sensor will be fitted to an electric bike.

"Admittedly there have been some delays," Castell confirms, "But we are starting this spring with two buses, a bicycle and five fixed sensors. By the end of the summer we aim to have full distribution involving more buses, and in the autumn all the fixed sensors will be installed, as well as those carried by people. Measurements will then be carried out in the city throughout 2015."

LAPEL BUTTONS

In December, SINTEF tested hand-held units for collecting weather and wind data as well as a small lapel button (see video) for measuring UV radiation.

"We have now sent the equipment to Bilbao for large-scale testing," says Arne Berre.

This is because around thirty partners in Europe are busy with measurements and tests. Among other things, they will provide both indoor and outdoor measurements of CO2 levels in schools. With such a large amount of data, the EU will be able to make comparisons and obtain a basis for developing joint solutions as well as for sharing technology.

The next step will deal with how to successfully involve people in future by means of user participation and work groups. The plan is to test the technology with selected individuals in 2014 and then make it more generally available during 2015.

See the www.citi-sense.eu and www.citi-sense-mob.e
u websites for further information.

KEY FACTS:

• The EU's Citi-Sense environmental project (2012-2016) will measure the pollution to which individual citizens are exposed. This is achieved using mini-sensors and other electronic equipment to collect environmental data for an online data register. The objective of the project is to improve quality of life in towns and cities. The project attempts to motivate the local population and improve awareness. 27 partner institutions from nine cities in Europe are involved. The project is headed by NILU.

• The EU's Citi-Sense-MOB project will run from 2013 to 2015 and involves installing sensors on mobile platforms (buses and bicycles) to make regular measurements. Each of the four Norwegian partners has its own principal focus – NILU on the quality of sensor data, SINTEF on integration towards global standards and data visualisation, Kjeller Innovation on the use of sensor data in other applications and UNIK on user involvement.

• THE SENSORS ARE MANUFACTURED BY VARIOUS EUROPEAN COMPANIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, SERBIA AND SPAIN.

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